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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25792909">Of Moths and Clothing</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/deepestfathoms/pseuds/deepestfathoms'>deepestfathoms</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>SIX Wing AU [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Six - Marlow/Moss</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Wings, Animal Traits, Family Bonding, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Self-Esteem Issues, Shopping, Soft Catherine of Aragon, being a moth is hard</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 09:20:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,172</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25792909</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/deepestfathoms/pseuds/deepestfathoms</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Aragon takes Joan clothes shopping for her new body a week after her metamorphosis.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>SIX Wing AU [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1868137</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Of Moths and Clothing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Wings:<br/>Aragon- Phoenix <br/>Joan- Rosy maple moth</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Aragon noticed Joan eye the mall warily, as if she were trying to see if she were walking into some kind of trap. Half concealed by a rack of overpriced clothes, a nearby salesperson gave her much the same look.</p><p>This was not a moth’s kind of store.</p><p>  “I don’t know, Catalina…” Joan said, rubbing her arm. Or, she tried to, at least. Her left arm reached around to rub the right, but both left arms moved instead of only one. She was still learning how to control her second pair of new limbs. “My clothes are fine, really.”</p><p>  “Nonsense,” Aragon said. “They aren’t and you know it.”</p><p>That was true. None of Joan’s clothing had holes for her second pair of arms and she was having to cut holes in all her shirts, which usually turned out ripped and way too big. She needed proper clothes for her new body, and Aragon was going to make sure she got them.</p><p>  “But–”</p><p>  “No buts.” Aragon cut her off. She brushed Joan with one wing. “Come on. Let’s get to looking.”</p><p>They whisked into the nearest clothing store and Joan almost instantly tensed up. Aragon doesn’t blame her; the mass of clothes in front of them is kind of terrifying in a way, especially if you’re going to have to pick out a whole wardrobe for a new body you’ve only had for a week. And it didn’t help that Joan really struggled with making decisions and accepting the aid of others when it came to buying things. Aragon could already hear her trying to insist that she would pay (which Aragon wasn’t going to let happen). </p><p>They went to the insect avian section, where all the clothes were tailored with proper sleeves for extra arms. Joan hung behind Aragon, looking awkward, as Aragon dutifully went through a rack of clothes, musing to herself about designs and prices. After a moment of searching, she pulled out a green blouse and held it up to Joan.</p><p>  “Oh my,” Aragon said, stifling laughter at the eye-bleedingly bad clash between the green fabric and Joan’s pink and yellow chest fluff. “That is…”</p><p>  “Awful?” Joan’s antenna drooped.</p><p>  “Not at all.” Aragon said. “Nothing about you is awful. This just doesn’t match at all.”</p><p>They soon quickly realized that a lot of things didn’t match with the bright pink and banana yellow of Joan’s chest fluff, so they moved onto a different store, hopefully with a lot more muted colors that may clash better with the fuzz. </p><p>There were not many.</p><p>Aragon picked out several articles of clothing, much better at matching than Joan was, then bundled the moth into one of the dressing rooms. When Joan shimmied one of the blouses on, she had to stifle laughter at all the ruffles that made her chest look even fluffier than it already was. She took it off, deciding against the shirt, then pulled on some jeans she had found on her own. They had lace frills on the edges of the pockets and the cuffs, and were embroidered with flowers. She knew it was probably ugly to most people, and she knew she was looking for tops, not bottoms, but she still found herself peeking out the door to see if Aragon was in sight so she could show her her cool new pants.</p><p>As she eased out, awkward and gangly-limbed, she heard a hanger drop in the floor in the changing cubicle next to hers. It was a small noise, but enough to make her wings flare out in fright and slam into a scaled avian walking by. </p><p>  “Agh, what the fuck?!” The dragon roared, bright blue and green wings jolting. “Watch where you’re going, stupid moth!”</p><p>All of the small pleasure that Joan had gained from wearing horrendously ugly flower-embroidered jeans vanished in an instant and she wanted nothing more than to get dressed again and leave. To go back into a cocoon, where everything was peaceful and quiet and nobody could scream at her.</p><p>And then, Aragon was there, materializing beside Joan as if the lights had unfolded her. Her phoenix feathers were shining like fire in the overhead fluorescence, and the gleaming, mixed with the size of her wings, seemed to make the dragon back off slightly.</p><p>  “That was a little rude, don’t you think?” Aragon said, her voice levelly calm, but Joan could see the flickers of flames in her eyes.</p><p>The dragon shuffled her feet nervously, wings twitching. “She hit me with her wings!” She blurted.</p><p>  “What a disaster.” Aragon said. “No wonder you had to resort to bigotry and name-calling.”</p><p>Bewildered silence. The dragon blinked in shock. Aragon opened one wing around Joan and tucked her against her side like a protective mother hen.</p><p>  “Joan, this dragon is upset because you hit her on accident,” She said, softening her voice.</p><p>  “I-I know,” Joan said. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I got startled. I didn’t mean it.”</p><p>The dragon seemed flabbergasted at her shyness and willingness to admit to what she did. The blue-green frills behind her ears opened and closed.</p><p>  “It’s alright,” She said. “Don’t worry about it. Sorry I yelled at you.”</p><p>Aragon nodded in approval, then pulled Joan back into the changing room she had been in. She gently cupped her cheeks, looking worried.</p><p>  “Are you alright, sweetheart?” She asked softly. “Do you want to leave? We can go home.”</p><p>Joan shook her head. She didn’t want to disappoint Aragon, and she knew that if she didn’t get it over with now, she’s going to have to come back later.</p><p>  “Are you sure?”</p><p>Joan nodded. “I’m okay,” She whispered.</p><p>  “Alright…” Aragon’s gaze traveled down slowly, to the floral pants Joan was wearing. “Looking good, <em>luna</em>.”</p><p>Joan blushed and smiled. </p><p>She agreed on the pants and a few shirts Aragon picked out for her, but they still didn’t have enough to fill a full wardrobe. Joan attempted to assure Aragon that the single pair of hideous jeans and three tops she got were good enough for her, but Aragon wouldn’t have it, so they continued to prowl further into the mall.</p><p>  “Ooh, Catalina, look–” Joan said, her voice becoming slightly detached when she noticed the shiny glow of a lighting store nearby. She began to shamble over to it, drawn by the radiance of the lamps.</p><p>  “No, no, baby.” Aragon quickly grabbed her and hooded one wing over her face to block out the enticing light. Instantly, Joan snapped out of her trance and blushed furiously.</p><p>  “Sorry,” She whispered, fidgeting. “I-I didn’t mean to…”</p><p>  “It’s quite alright, sweetheart.” Aragon said. “Your moth instincts must be hard to control sometimes.”</p><p>  “Yeah…” Joan nodded. “I don’t know why overhead lights never make me feel the same way. It’s so weird and stupid.”</p><p>  “Shh, shh,” Aragon began to guide her forward, away from the lighting appliance store. “It’s not stupid, honey. It’s just your instincts. You don’t think Katherine ever tried to stick her tongue into some flowers after her metamorphosis?”</p><p>Joan giggled at the mental image of that. “That’s silly.”</p><p>  “I heard it happened. Don’t tell Katherine I know, though.” Aragon winked and Joan giggled again.</p><p>They go into another store, this time not just focusing on shirts this time around, much to Joan’s dismay. She really, <em>really</em> hated that Aragon was going to be spending so much money on her of all people, but Aragon didn’t seem to mind at all.</p><p>  “We’ll need to get you some pajamas,” Aragon said, gliding into the nightwear section of the store. Her large wings were angled perfectly to keep from hitting the racks, while Joan kept brushing coathangers no matter what position she folded her wings at. “See any you like?”</p><p>Joan looked around, glancing over onesies and sleeping shorts and nightgowns before her eyes settled on a purple shirt with the words “this is my pajama shirt” written over the front. She didn’t know what she liked so much about it, but desperately wanted the shirt and the matching bottoms to go with it.</p><p>  “Found something?” Aragon asked, following her gaze. She smiled when she saw the silly shirt. “Do you want that one, sweetheart?” Her ear-tufts were relaxed back, like she was trying to make herself seem smaller, which was impossible because of her massive wingspan and broad body frame.<br/>Joan nodded shyly. </p><p>  “Grab it,” Aragon said. “Anything you want, honey.”</p><p>  “Thank you,” Joan whispered, then excitedly fluttered over to the pajamas. When she brought them back over to Aragon, her stomach twisted when the phoenix peered at them more closely. “What? Wh-what’s wrong?”</p><p>  “They’re a little small,” Aragon said gently. “All the clothes we’ve gotten so far have been bigger sizes, honey. With your fluff and wings, your old size may not fit anymore.”</p><p>Joan’s ears felt like they were on fire. “O-oh,” She stammered. Her wings open and close around her like a cloak. “Okay. R-right. Sorry.”</p><p>Why did she apologize? God, she’s making herself look even more pathetic.</p><p>  “Oh, baby girl…” Aragon set down the clothes she was holding and cupped Joan’s face. “Honey, you have a lot of pent up self-esteem issues, don’t you?”</p><p>Was she that obvious? Joan looked away, ashamed, and knew Aragon had her answer. A moment later, she was swaddled in warm phoenix wings and couldn’t help but bury her face into the feathers.</p><p>  “Sorry,” Joan whispered. “I-It’s not that I don’t like my new body, I just– I never thought I would have one. I thought I would be Flightless for my entire life. And everyone always looked at me weirdly and thought I was a freak and I-I just…” She nuzzled in closer to the plumage, wishing she could just curl up and hide in Aragon’s wings forever. “I got used to it…”</p><p>  “Oh, my girl…” Aragon murmured. “My sweet, sweet girl…” She began to rub Joan’s back, her talons gently tickling her spine in the best way. “You will never have to be treated like that ever again. Not with me around. I will not tolerate anyone to treat my moon like that.”</p><p>For the hundredth time that day, Joan was a blushing mess. Nobody had ever cared about her so much before.</p><p>  “Thank you,” She said softly.</p><p>  “Anything for you.” Aragon pressed a kiss to the top of her head.</p><p>After a moment, they pulled away and Joan got a better fitting pair of the pajamas she liked. Once they finished scanning through the other clothes section, they went to check out–but Aragon stopped on the way to the front counter.</p><p>  “Joan,” She called, “come here, my darling.”</p><p>Joan went over to her instantly. She was about to ask what was wrong when Aragon tied a small baby blue bowtie to the base of her right antenna. Joan blinked in shock and tentatively reached up to the accessory to make sure it was real, that it was there, that that really happened.</p><p>  “Perfect.” Aragon smiled. “You are too cute, Joan.”</p><p>Joan couldn’t reply. Aragon chuckled lovingly.</p><p>  “Come along, now. Let’s check out.”</p><p>Joan had Aragon put the bowtie back on the moment they finished paying, unable to smother her giddy smile. For once, she actually felt sort of pretty, and she wasn’t sure why it took a tiny accessory to make her feel that way.</p><p>  “Are you hungry?” Aragon asked.</p><p>  “A little,” Joan admitted shyly. Aragon must have noticed her nibbling on her sleeves.</p><p>  “Let’s go get some lunch, then.” </p><p>Aragon secured them both some fruit smoothies and meals from one of the fast food joints set up in the food court. They sit across from each other at a booth with their bags in the chair next to Aragon.</p><p>  “You’re doing so well, Joan.” Aragon said. “I’m so proud of you.”</p><p> Joan’s wings fluttered a little. “Really?” </p><p>  “Yes, really,” Aragon chuckled.</p><p>  “Thank you.” Joan ducked her head shyly.</p><p>After finishing their meals and Aragon steering Joan away from a haphazardly illuminated candle shop, they go into another clothing store, which was where Joan set her eyes upon the greatest outfit she had ever seen before. She scurried into the changing room, telling Aragon it would be a surprise.</p><p>  “Are you ready?” Joan asked eagerly from inside the stall.</p><p>Aragon chuckled. “Yes, love. Come on out.”</p><p>Joan giggled adorably, then opened the stall door.</p><p>Aragon’s mouth dropped open.</p><p>Joan stood before her, chest fuzz fluffed out importantly and wings opened slightly, wearing a purple plaid shirt, overalls, and turquoise Crocs. She was absolutely glowing with pride, while Aragon could barely breathe.</p><p>  “Oh. Oh my.” Aragon murmured. She clutched at her heart. “Oh, you are the cutest little thing I have ever laid eyes on!”</p><p>Joan smiled giddily, wings fluttering. “So you like it?” She asked. “I picked it out myself!”</p><p>Aragon could tell.</p><p>  “I love it,” Aragon said honestly, filled with so much endearment for this sweet girl. “You’re perfect, Joan.”</p><p>And, for once, dressed in the most hideous outfit to ever grace God’s green earth, Joan sort of believed her. </p>
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